


found family

by parktaejoon



Series: nyx's cryptage fics [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: (kinda), Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hate to Love, M/M, Secret Identity, Vignette, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25065988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parktaejoon/pseuds/parktaejoon
Summary: When Elliott feels alone, he doesn't realize the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than it seems.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Series: nyx's cryptage fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818934
Kudos: 44





	found family

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! please comment and leave kudos! <3

Elliott really should be asleep.

The digital alarm clock to his right is flashing a frightening number bright orange, and it’s infuriating him, but he can’t do shit except cover it with an open book. He’s laying in bed, the covers half over his body and pillows strewn lazily over his bed. It’s unbearably hot in his room despite the altitude. He tends to get hot when he sleeps. Forearm cast over his eyes with a sigh, he spreads out and tries for the last time to get some sleep. Something about that last game left him anxious, more anxious than usual. He’ll never get used to the rush of the drop, the whir of bullets just scraping the sides of his head. It was terrifying.

It makes him miss his old life. 

But he’s doing this for the money. He’s doing this so he can give his mom a better life. Or, what left she has of it. He wishes his dad didn’t leave. Or that his brothers didn’t die. Maybe he’d have an easier life, not slaving over a bar for the rest of it. A memory pops up in his head and he’s holding back a sob.

They were in the biggest lake on the outskirts of Solace City, in kayaks. His mom was with him, and his brothers were with his dad. He was so happy. So young, innocent. How did he get caught up in all of this? 

Elliott rolls over and pulls a pillow to his chest, ignoring the wet spots forming as he purses his lips to swallow down the sobs. Thank god there wasn’t a match that day. Elliott can just wallow in his room with no repercussions. 

He jolts upright when a knock comes to his door. It’s light, but he still hears it. Who the hell would be up at this hour? All his friends would be asleep at this hour, even Octavio. Elliott wipes at his eyes with the heel of his palms, sniffling harshly and sighing. He gets up, finding his slippers with his feet and padding over to his door. He realizes his eyes are still puffy and his skin is flushed red, but he doesn’t pay it any mind as he sees Taejoon of all people standing outside his door. It’s the first time Elliott’s seen him in casual clothes, and his hair down. His bangs cascade over half of his forehead. He looks.. tired. Almost despondent. Grey, v-cut sweater, and baggy navy sweatpants make him almost seem human. Hah. He is human. Elliott just thinks he’s so otherworldly in his hacking skills that he must be alien. 

Elliott lets out a chuckle and leans against the doorframe. “Did you have a nightmare or something? Why come to me?” He lets out, and cringes internally at his voice cracking. Taejoon’s face turns towards the ground and his arms tighten against his chest. Elliott can see now that he’s confused and frustrated. About something.

Taejoon looks back up at him, hands quickly coming to Elliott’s chest and pushing him back into his room. He kicks the door closed with his foot and directs Elliott to fall backwards against the bed, crawling over him and holding his arms above his head by his wrists. Elliott’s staring up at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. He’s shocked. Not upset, just.. had no idea Taejoon was into this kinda thing. Suddenly, he forgets about his family troubles and focuses on whatever the hell is going on now. 

“Uh- Crypto?--” 

“Shut up.” 

Elliott’s lip trembles. Taejoon’s face softens, and they’re both looking between each other's eyes and lips. 

“What, all bark and no bite?” Elliott retorts.

“I thought I told you to shut up.” Taejoon promptly leans in and presses their lips together. Okay, maybe he has some bite too. Elliott lets out a satisfied sigh as he presses up into Taejoon. The other lets his hands free, Elliott immediately grabs at whatever part of Taejoon's body he can letting Taejoon run his fingers through his hair as he kisses him senseless. 

This doesn’t even seem real. This can’t be real. How is the man he thought hated him literally making out with him on his bed in the dark? They part with a soft exhale and Taejoon tugs at his bottom lip with his teeth, and Elliott can’t help being vocal. 

Taejoon lets his head dip lower as he presses ghosts of kisses along Elliott’s Adam’s apple, Elliott breathing out the only question he can even think to ask. 

“Are you--” Gay? Into men?

“Yes.” Taejoon mutters, and gets back to work.

“Okay, good, ‘cause me too. But we’re going to talk about this after r-right? I-I mean- We ha-- mmf--” Taejoon kisses him, chastely, then looks down on him seriously. 

“You talk too much. Just let this happen.” 

Elliott swallows hard, and nods. For once, he can just shut up. Get all the thoughts out of the brain and kiss this guy like it’s the last thing he’ll do. They end up agsinst Elliott’s headboard, with Taejoon straddling his lap and Elliott sitting up. Taejoon does most of the work, turning it even messier than before and working his tongue into Elliott’s mouth and lapping at him while Elliott’s hands crawl further than the small of his back and end up toying with the elastic of his sweatpants. It’s clear he wants to go further. 

Taejoon parts, but Elliott doesn’t want to stop. “Not-” Kiss. “-yet-” Another kiss. “I want-” Yet another. “to save that-” One more. “-for later.” Taejoon manages to get out, panting softly and letting his arms wrap around Elliott’s neck. They kiss and kiss until their lips are swollen pink and slick with saliva. Taejoon’s cheeks are flushed and blotchy, as he tries to catch his breath. 

“Now.” He says, but doesn’t make an effort to get off of Elliott’s lap. “Do you want to tell me why you were crying.” 

Elliott’s taken aback. He knew it was obvious, but he didn’t think Taejoon was gonna bring it up. 

“It’s kinda personal. Do you want to be on that level with me? I mean, we kinda just swapped spit for the past 45 minutes, but I know you’re kinda secretive.” Elliott explains his caution, and Taejoon just nods softly. 

“Why else would I have kissed you? Do I seem like the type of person to kiss someone and not have the intent to form a relationship with them?” 

“..No. But, why me?”

“Many reasons. Why me?”

“I asked you first.”

“I asked you second.”

“Fine.” Elliott sighs. “I kissed you back because you’re cute and I’ve been flirting with you since you joined the games.”

“I could tell. I wanted to express the feelings in return, but I was afraid it’d tarnish my cold façade.”

“And what are you really? Under the fu- fasa- the cover? Yeah. Cover.”

“Someone who really likes you… Reluctantly. If you weren’t so cocky.”

“That’s part of my charm, babydoll.”

Taejoon gets off of him. “Aish.. Witt, annoying even after all of that.” He sits on the edge of Elliott’s bed, leaning on one hand. 

“But seriously, why were you crying?”

Elliott purses his lips. “Well.. since I trust you. It was because of my family. My mom is forgetting who I am. I lost my brothers in the war, and my dad left when I was a kid. So, I don’t really have anyone, anymore.” 

Taejoon nods curtly. “I.. understand entirely, actually.” He pauses. “I often feel very alone as well.”

“How is someone like you alone? I’m sure you had loads of friends back.. in your hometown.” Elliott says, brushing a strand of Taejoon’s hair behind his ear. 

“Gaea.”

“Yeah. Gaea. I’m from Solace, if you didn’t know.”

“..Noted.”

Taejoon’s expression changes, and Elliott raises his eyebrows. 

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong? Did I kiss you too hard or something?”

Taejoon lets out a soft chuckle. 

“No, it’s.. Something I cannot tell anyone else. I’m not even sure I can trust you with this information.” Taejoon said. He looks distraught. 

“I’ll tell you more about myself If you’re scared. You don’t even have to tell me about yourself. I just know.. your name is Hyeon Kim, you’re 31, you’re from Gaea, and you like men. And you have a drone.”

Taejoon ducks his head and laughs again. “That’s the problem right there.”

“W-What, are you lying about your identity, or something?”

“..You could say so.”

Elliott furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest. “So what, you’re a fugi- fe- criminal? Joined the games to get away from the police?” He jokes, snorting.

“..Yes, actually.”

“So you-- Wait, what?” Elliott pauses. He looks down. Thinks about what he just heard. “..What happened?”

“My name is Park Taejoon.”

“What, th-the one who killed his sister? That was all over the news. Even in Solace.”

Taejoon’s fists ball up in the sheets. He scoffs and turns his head away from Elliott. Great, what’d he do now?

“I didn’t kill her,” Taejoon starts. “We found an algorithm that could possibly end the games. It shows the Legend with the highest percentage of winning. The next morning, they found us. I escaped, they.. have her. Or she’s..”

“..dead, yeah.”

Taejoon swallows.

“On the verge of, more like it. I found an encrypted voice message she left for me. We still have hope.”

“She’s the only one you have?”

“..and my mother, Mystik.” He sits up and crosses his legs. Elliott can see his lip quivering. 

There’s a beat of silence. Elliott doesn’t know what to do. This is the first time he’s seen Taejoon even remotely express any emotion other than being rude. He’s actually.. really nice. Elliott can’t help but like him more, as he opens up. They have a lot in common, it seems. 

“..Tell me about them.”

Taejoon looks up at him momentarily. His eyes are glassy, and he notices them welling up with tears just as he lets his head fall again.

He takes in a shaky breath. “She adopted me when I was 13. Already had Mila. She’s 3 years younger than me. I was getting to the age where people didn’t adopt anymore, and she.. saw my potential. I’m just lucky she took me. They both mean the entire world to me. Mom writes to me, in encrypted letters. But she’s hiding from Syndicate too.” His voice gets quiet at the end, and Elliott knows he can’t continue. 

“..I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Elliott purses his lips. He wants to say that it isn’t, but he knows that’s going too far. It’s best to just be empathetic in the only way he knows how. 

“I don’t have anyone left either.” 

“Elliott, stop it-” Taejoon turns to him, stands up and looks incredibly angry. Fuck. 

“Wait, let me get to the point.” He sits down again. “We.. could have eachother.. now. If you want.” 

Taejoon can’t help but crack a smile.

“Shit. Sorry, I-.. That came out way more flir-flirta- romantic.. than I wanted it to.” 

Tae pauses, exhaling hard. “..You still like me after all I have told you?” 

“..I think your accent is cute?” Cue a pillow being smothered over Elliott’s face and the two giggling as they fight eachother over the sound of Taejoon complaining how cocky and annoying he is. They end up laying next to eachother with grins on their faces, panting heavily. 

Elliott quickly turns his head to look at Tae beside him. “..That’s a yes, by the way.”

“Yes, yes. I know.”

There’s another beat of silence as Elliott sits up. “You know I- I want.. comm- co- .. um- long term.”

“Commitment.”

Elliott utters out a small ‘thank you’.

“Me as well.”

“Oh, shit, really?” Taejoon sits up too.

He exhales out a chuckle. “As long as Mila approves.”

Elliott scowls and lightly hits his forearm. Taejoon lazily rolls his eyes, falling back against the pillow. It’s clear his coping mechanism is pretending like nothing’s happened. Elliott’ll ask when they’re longer into the relationship. Speaking of, relationship? Is this a one time thing?

“I-If this is just you.. wanting someone to make out with when you’re feeling alone.. uh- that’s cool too, I guess.” 

“No, this is me wanting to introduce someone as my boyfriend to my mother after 25 years of being single.” Where did he get the Rubik’s cube? Elliott turns away from Taejoon as the click of the cube turning echoes slightly in his room. 

“Boyfriend..?”

“Yes.”

“I like that.”

“...Me, too.”

-

The dropship kitchens tended to be busy early on in the morning, and since the two decided there were better things to do than sleep, they made it a mission to retrieve some of the coffee provided. 

They lean against the island as the machine brews, Elliott slowly coming around Taejoon and kissing him softly. Elliott braces himself against the counter as their chests are flush against eachother, Taejoon letting his hand cup the nape of Elliott’s neck. He grasps at short, shaven hair, and only break apart when they hear the door to the kitchen slide open. 

Elliott presses a final kiss to his lips before rounding the counter and muttering a soft ‘Hey, Nat.’ to the girl entering. He goes back to wait in his room. 

She gets to the coffee pot first, not even turning to face Taejoon. 

“Salut, Hyeon.” She greets, and only a small bit of him cringes at the use of his fake name. 

“...Good morning.” He breathes, and she finally does turn around. 

“Alors, was that a recent development?” Natalie ponders aloud, and Taejoon has to fight a smile. 

“Perhaps.” He says, and begins filling up mugs for he and Elliott. 

She pauses, then hops up onto the counter and swings her legs lightly. “You look happy. He’s good for you, amie. I can tell.” 

“..Thank you.” He says, giving her a small nod. “좋은 하루 되세요.”

She returns his nod. He leaves shortly after making coffee how he hopes Elliott would like it. (way too sweet, way too much milk.) Somehow, it feels.. good being seen. Maybe he likes this.. people.. thing. Natalie reminds him a lot of Mila. Which is why he avoids getting close to any of the females in their dropship. But.. he’s making new advancements in his life. Maybe he deserves the closeness. The feeling of being appreciated, coming back after months of feeling lost. It’s good.

He’ll talk to Natalie again soon. 

But right now, he wants to focus on Elliott’s goofy grin, how his dimples are hidden by his beard, the scar through his eye and the one on his cheek, how unbearably curly his hair is, his laugh, everything. And Elliott wants to focus on Taejoon. The way he’s finally relaxing around other people. The mole under his right eye that Elliott will kiss sooner rather than later, and the way Taejoon insists on shaving even if there’s only a shadow of a mustache growing.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? 

Found family can be forever family too, it seems.

**Author's Note:**

> 좋은 하루 되세요 = Have a good day


End file.
